New Microsoft Teams Game App for Enhancing Team Building

A New Era of Team Building with Microsoft Teams

Recently, Microsoft Teams has introduced a groundbreaking feature that strategically uses games for team building. This innovation is particularly relevant in an era where forming connections and improving team morale is more challenging than ever.

The introduction of games in the workspace might have its critics, but the rewards are multiple. A study by Brigham Young University echoes the potential of such initiative by suggesting a 20 percent bump in productivity among teams who played video games compared to those sticking to traditional team-building activities.

Considering the current transition towards remote and hybrid working models, playing games could play a significant role in fostering relationships and levelling up the overall team spirit. More about Teams.

Work Will Now Happen Over Games!

The current offering of 'Games for Work' app, composed by Microsoft Casual Games, is an interesting mix. It essentially allows team members to add casually trending games in a work-meeting setup. These games comprise of Microsoft IceBreakers, Microsoft Wordament, Minesweeper, and Solitaire, designed to accommodate anywhere between 2 to 250 participants.

"3 billion people around the world play games, serving a crucial role in bringing people together, especially during these challenging times," remarked Jill Braff, General Manager of Integrations and Casual Games, Microsoft. A growing evidence supports the idea that games promote creativity, collaboration, and communication in unique and powerful ways.

The games provided are designed to fit the various needs of the team, with each game emphasising a different element of team building.

Various Game Offerings

The 'Games for Work' app offers a variety of games, each serving a unique purpose to bring teams together. For instance, Microsoft IceBreakers encourage team members to communicate and learn about each other. Similarly, Microsoft Minesweeper assists individuals to collaborate and accomplish targets rapidly, which can be a valuable approach for solving challenges at work.

Fans of Microsoft Wordament can create team competition by challenging each other over a word game, while the Microsoft Solitaire Collection encourages both individual and group participation. Once the app is integrated, everyone can enjoy inside the digital workspace meetings on both desktop and mobile.

Other social apps available in Teams also include Polly and Kahoot!. These facilitate everything from running live polls and quizzes to interactive question and answer sessions, further aiding in team building.

Conclusion

Microsoft Teams is revolutionising the way of team building and communication in hybrid and remote working environments. The addition of the 'Games for Work' app promises to increase productivity and inspire creativity while making workdays more exhilarating.

With continual feedback and upcoming innovations, the horizon of productive team building activities within the platform keeps on expanding.

Read the full article Microsoft Teams Launches New Games for Work App for Team Building

Learn about Microsoft Teams Launches New Games for Work App for Team Building

Microsoft has embraced the idea of utilizing games as an effective method for team building among its remote and hybrid workforce. The tech giant understands the communication barriers for remote work environments and the challenge of creating a collaborative atmosphere. As a solution, it has unleashed exciting games in their collaborative tool, Teams.

The move to integrate games into professional digital spaces aims to boost morale, foster relationships, and facilitate collaboration. They have fostered these strategies based on the results of a study conducted by Brigham Young University, which confirmed that video games significantly enhance productivity levels.

The idea is to fortify our weakened social capital due to the rampant rise of remote work culture. More than 40% of leaders find relationship building as the toughest challenge in such environments. Reinforcing connections and trust among team members through interactive games could be a gamechanger, fueling a sense of community.

A new Games for Work app has been introduced, and it is the brainchild of Microsoft Casual Games of Xbox Games Studio. It allows you to involve a game in the context of your professional discussions happening in Teams meetings like Microsoft IceBreakers, Minesweeper, and Solitaire. These games help to break the ice, foster teamwork, stimulate brains, and provide a platform for healthy competition among coworkers.

Jill Braff, General Manager of Integrations and Casual Games, highlighted how games can enhance creativity, collaboration, and communication uniquely. Over 3 billion people globally engage in gaming, which has been instrumental in connecting people in the past few years."

Let's take a brief look at the games Microsoft has specially designed for this app:

• Microsoft IceBreakers: Promote communication among new teams
• Microsoft Minesweeper: Enhances teamwork by solving problems collectively and quickly
• Microsoft Wordament: Encourages healthy team competition by offering a word challenge
• Microsoft Solitaire Collection: Provides an opportunity for head-to-head competition and participation

Besides the Games for Work app, the collaboration tool platform also offers several other social apps to boost productivity and strengthen team relationships. Polly in Teams is an example that conducts instant live polls, surveys, and quizzes, stimulating minds and promoting open conversations.

The world is moving towards a digital revolution, and remote work has brought a new dimension to professional team-building activities. By leveraging the power of games, Microsoft is striving to reshape the idea of remote team collaboration. The new Games for Work app in Teams meetings is expected to spark creativity, conversation, and unity through the power of play.

*If the Games for Work app is not available in your Teams app, reach out to your IT admin for support.

**The performance of the Games for Work app and feedback from users will determine the casual game roadmap in Teams. For now, the existing Teams gaming policy remains unchanged until the pilot is complete.

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Microsoft Teams, New Games, Work App, Team Building, Microsoft Teams Launch, Team Building Games, Microsoft Work Games, Teams Collaboration App, Microsoft Teams Enhancement, Teams Team Building App